This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

37728 

Vol. 86, No. 134 

Friday, July 16, 2021 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments are 

requested regarding: Whether the 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments regarding this information 

collection received by August 16, 2021 

will be considered. Written comments 

and recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Rural Utilities Service 

Title: Special Authority to Enable 

Funding of Broadband and Smart Utility 

Facilities Across Select Rural 

Development Programs. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0156. 

Summary of Collection: The Rural 

Utilities Service, Rural BusinessCooperative Service, and Rural Housing 

Service, agencies that comprise the 

Rural Development Mission Area within 

the United States Department of 

Agriculture, are issuing this final rule to 

establish the authority authorized by 

Section 6210 of the Agriculture 

Improvement Act of 2018. This rule 

describes the procedures by which these 

agencies will consider projects eligible 

for special broadband authority and 

Smart Utility facilities. 

On December 20, 2018, Congress 

passed The Agricultural Improvement 

Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) (Pub. L. 

115–334). In addition to sweeping 

changes in broadband program 

authorities, Congress provided for 

special use of funding from other RD 

programs for broadband deployment in 

Section 6210, ‘‘Smart Utility Authority 

for Broadband.’’ The provision granted 

the Secretary of Agriculture the 

discretion to allow recipients of grants, 

loans, or loan guarantees under RD 

programs to use not more than 10 

percent of such funding to finance 

broadband infrastructure in areas not 

served by the minimum acceptable level 

of broadband service, as defined in this 

Part, and which will not result in 

competitive harm to a current RD loan, 

grant, or loan guarantee. While Section 

6210 only imposes the competitive 

harm restriction with respect to RUS 

loan, grant, and loan guarantee 

recipients, RD has determined to apply 

the restriction RD-wide, consistent with 

the statutory guidance on conflicts and 

duplications of awards provided in 7 

U.S.C. 2204b(d)(2). 

Rural community leaders, businesses 

and utilities must consider broadband 

availability and uses as they plan for, 

and implement, new and improved 

facilities and services to support 

community and economic development. 

While integration of communications 

technology into a planned investment 

can be used for internal purposes, it can 

also serve as a catalyst to rural 

broadband deployment efforts. For 

example, investment in health care, 

public safety and businesses can be 

enhanced or leveraged to expand the 

availability and utilization of advanced 

broadband in rural areas. Smart 

highways can facilitate vehicle to 

infrastructure communications to 

enhance driver safety; smart water 

systems can remotely detect 

contaminants before they pose a health 

risk; smart pipelines can report leaks 

and structural weaknesses before they 

become dangerous; and smart grid 

systems deliver enhanced security and 

energy efficiency, as well as speed 

recovery after an electric outage. 

Through this regulation, RD enables 

limited integration of broadband 

deployment with other rural 

investments funded through its broad 

suite of programs. It does so without 

adding the burden of seeking funding 

through separate program areas. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

collection of information is necessary 

for RD to determine an applicant’s 

ability to borrow under the terms of the 

2018 Farm Bill and included programs 

and that the applicant complies with 

statutory, regulatory, and administrative 

eligibility requirements for loan 

assistance. As part of that submission, 

applicants are required to provide a 

service area map, where applicable, of 

their entire service territory. 

Description of Respondents: 

Businesses or other for-profits. 

Number of Respondents: 159. 

Frequency of Responses: Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 239. 

Dated: July 13, 2021. 

Levi S. Harrell, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–15118 Filed 7–15–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket No. AMS–TM–21–0058] 

Investments and Opportunities for 

Meat and Poultry Processing 

Infrastructure 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA. 

ACTION: Request for public comment. 

SUMMARY: On July 9, 2021, President 

Biden issued an Executive Order on 


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